Amsterdam Getaway

As you would expect in an Amsterdam canal-side hotel, the rooms are not huge, but ours was still pretty spacious, given that we had three beds in it. One big bonus was the lift, which is by no means common in this kind of hotel. Breakfast was the usual Dutch affair of cold meats, cheeses, various breads, and tea or coffee, so it really did set you up for the day.

The museum offers audio guides in various languages, which are full of fascinating extras and well worth considering. I must confess I found the museum shop a trifle disappointing (and overpriced). One tip to avoid the queues - visit the museum website and buy your tickets online, print them off, and walk stright in through a dedicated entrance!

The original Opetka premises at 263 have been restored to their 1940 state since my last visit, which I found helped greatly in setting the scene. The actual annexe, or "Achterhuis", where Anne and the others lived is very amtospheric and highly charged with emotion. It is very hard to visit here without being affected in some way by what happened, not only here, but across Europe at that time. I believe everyone should visit this place at least once in their lifetime. Particularly poignant are Anne's original film star pictures still stuck on the wall.

Firstly, The Tara, at Rokin 87-89, used to be a Brit pub (O'Henry's) where I worked, but the new owners bought the restaurant next door and expanded the place into the present premises. They offer a good selection of Irish beers and cider, as well as the usual Dutch options, with excellent food as well. It is an excellent lunchtime or early evening spot, and the layout means that it doesn't get too noisy, even when busy. They do have occasional live music, usually midweek - check out the posters at the door for information. At the other end of the scale is the tiny Blarney Stone at the bottom of Nieuwendijk. This place looks as though it's been transplanted from Co. Kerry or similar and is one of the friendliest bars in Amsterdam, and that's saying something! There's mainly Irish beer and cider on sale at very reasonable prices, with Dommelsch pils for the locals, and they do a wonderful toasted bacon sandwich in the mornings!

On to The Hague, the seat of the Dutch govenment, and a city tour taking in all the major sites like the various ministeries and embassies, the Peace Palace, The Binnenhof and Dutch Parliament buildings, the Royal Palace, and the prison where Mr Milosevic is being held, as well as the building the War Crimes Tribunal is using for the trial.

After this, it was onto Madurodam (entrance included in your ticket), which is billed as "Holland in Miniature". It was actually built by the parents of a Dutch soldier killed in the war (George Maduro) in memory of their son and has since become a Dutch institution. The buildings are all to 1/25 scale and are very detailed - some of them have "working" features, so the trains run, the bridges lift, the crowd at the football match is singing, and there is a lot to catch the eye and the imagination. Good for kids and adults alike.